# Decennial Census

**Agency:** Commerce  
**Account:** Periodic Censuses and Programs  
**Source document:** Census Bureau · p. 49  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/budget/commerce/decennial-census  

> **Trust:** parsed from the agency Congressional Justification. Approximate, **not summable**, verify at the cited page.

## Funding ($M)

| Fiscal year | Basis | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FY2026 | enacted | 766.8 |
| FY2027 | request | 1,282.9 |

## Commerce discretionary budget authority (OMB PBDB — authoritative)

FY2027 $7.00B, FY2026 $11.90B. This is the agency total, not a sum of the parsed lines.


## What this funds

The Decennial Census has been conducted since the early years of the Nation. Decennial Census data provides the official population counts for determining the allocation to states of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the block-level data necessary for each state to re-draw congressional, state, and local legislative district boundaries, as mandated in the U.S. Constitution, and Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Decennial Census data provides the official population counts for the allocation of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the block- level data necessary for each state to re-draw congressional, state, and local legislative district boundaries. The American Community Survey generates data that help determine how trillions in Federal and state funds are distributed each year. The Decennial Census, including the ACS, provides fundamental demographic information about people living in the country and determines Federal allocations to states and local governments. This information helps businesses decide where to locate manufacturing facilities, where to open the next location, where to find the right workforce, and how to choose the products to put on the store shelves. The 2030 Census Program has a 15-year lifecycle. As a result, the 2030 Census activities are planned and conducted in four phases, beginning with Early Planning (FY 2019 - FY 2021), followed by Design Selection (FY 2022 - FY 2024), Development and Integration (FY 2025 - FY 2029), and Peak Production and Closeout (FY 2029 - FY 2033). The maturation of the 2030 Census IT and non-IT solutions is an iterative process which will evolve through additional design work and testing. At the base FY 2027 funding level, the Census Bureau could only focus on 2030 Census preparations necessary to ensure timely delivery of statutorily required apportionment totals to the President and redistricting data to the states at an acceptable quality level. Additional information about the Decennial Census can be found at the following website: The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the Nation's people and economy. The 2030 Census activity furthers this mission by providing key benchmark measures about the U.S. population and conducting a decennial census that counts everyone once, only once, and in the right place in fulfillment of the Census Bureau's constitutional mandate. Below are descriptions of the major activities associated with planning and execution of the 2030 Census. Program Management includes all activities associated with defining and implementing policies, processes, and control functions for planning and executing the 2030 Census. The Census Bureau is committed to planning a well-managed, well-formulated, and well- designed 2030 Census and the top priority of the program continues to be careful planning of lifecycle operations, requirements, and robust program management throughout the census lifecycle continues to provide a solid foundation for the 2030 Census that will enable the program to pivot effectively when confronting change throughout the decade. Given the complexity of its cyclical nature and the importance of the Decennial Census program, preserving institutional knowledge and best practices continues to be a key program requirement. Rigorous management of cost, risk, schedule, and scope throughout the decade will permit a more efficient program design and implementation that can spread costs across the decade. Census/Survey Engineering includes activities to manage delivery of systems that are needed to deliver the 2030 program requirements including technology engineering, solution architecture and security, and solution engineering. One of the most important investments in the 2030 Census program is the design, architecture, and requirements gathering for the 2030 Census IT solution. Through requirements management, analysis of alternatives, and testing, the Census Bureau is determining the most suitable and cost-effective way to deliver each IT capability that is part of the 2030 Census design. While some systems are being built, others rely on the existing Census Bureau Business Ecosystem, including 2020 Census systems transitioned to enterprise-wide use. In particular, the Data Ingest and Collection for the Enterprise (DICE) provides a consistent, reliable, and cost-effective way for the Census Bureau to conduct work across the The activities in the Frame aim to maintain and enhance high-quality geospatial and demographic frames serving as the universe for the


**Where it sits:** Civilian / Non-Defense › Commerce › Census Bureau › Periodic Censuses and Programs › Decennial Census


*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. government. Civilian line dollars are parsed from agency Congressional Justifications and are approximate.*